In Reply to: Meaning of symbol Fu posted by Petar on January 14, 2002 at 08:58:06:
Hi there. The symbol you're describing is actually a shou-- a prosperity/long-life symbol. The word "fu" is a chinese homonymn(sp?). It means both "bat"(as in the flying mammal) and "good fortune/happiness." The shou symbol that you describe is often surrounded by the Wu Fu, the five bats. These stand for the five blessings in life: long life, riches, health, love and a natural death. They also stand for the five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and metal. When the wu-fu surround the shou symbol, it's because the bats are associated with good fortune. The wu fu is also the logo of Bat Conservation International. You can see this symbol at www.batcon.org. I have it tattooed on my back!
Colin.
: Hallo!
: Recently I found nice symbol - Fu , supposedly meaning "divine authority, justice, ability to distinct right from wrong". (it's rather simple, symetrical, 2 lines curving squarely).
: But today I found other symbol named Fu, more complicated to draw, with different meaning.
: So now I'm confused, are there few signs, is first one correct?...
: Thanx for your effort.
: Cheers,
: Petar